Frank, Who Liked to Build: The Architecture of Frank Gehry

by Deborah Blumenthal, Maria Brzozowska (Illustrator)

Overview

One building looks like it's been wrapped in tinfoil. Another looks like it's buried under a pile of paint chips. Frank Gehry has been called "the most important architect of our age." As a child, his parents thought of him as nothing but a dreamer. But Frank kept dreaming and playing, following his passions and becoming an architect who created astounding buildings that to this day attract millions of visitors worldwide.

"Being a Chicagoan, I know Frank Gehry's work in our beloved Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. Frank, Who Liked to Build gives young readers a fascinating introduction to the creative vision behind one of the greatest architects of our time." —Sherri Duskey Rinker, author of the Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site series

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541597624
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/01/2022
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	930L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Deborah Blumenthal is an award-winning journalist and nutritionist, and the author of twenty-three books for adults and children. She has been a regular contributor to The New York Times. Her feature stories have appeared in a wide variety of national newspapers and magazines, including The New York Daily News, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Family Circle, and Woman’s Day. Deborah lives in New York City.

Maria Brzozowska was born in Poland and spent most of her childhood growing up in Turkey, where she now lives. She’s a graduate of Leeds Arts University, a visual storyteller who enjoys taking a poetic approach to her art. She uses traditional painting techniques aided by digital methods.

Editorial Reviews

Blumenthal’s message to her juvenile readers: Keep dreaming, playing and following your passions.

From the Publisher

2021-12-03
This biography presents Frank Gehry’s singular contributions to the field of architecture.

Blumenthal’s descriptions of Gehry’s designs are evocative and alliterative: “Imagine a building with sloping silver skin that seems to shiver in the wind” or a building with “billowy blanket walls big enough to hide a family of dinosaurs.” The text provides specific descriptions of how Gehry’s love for architecture fit into his life. For instance, we read that when he was a boy, his grandmother gave him pieces of wood meant for the wood stove. Inspired, young Gehry (described as a “dreamer”) created imaginary cities and worlds, leaving his parents unimpressed (something which lingered with him his entire life). Unfortunately, the jewel-toned illustrations fall short of capturing Gehry’s unique vision. The book closes with six photographs of buildings that Gehry designed, and the illustrations that precede the photos do not manage to capture the spirit of Gehry’s beautifully odd feats of architecture. The greatest tribute to Gehry, after all, may be to say that his buildings are indescribable. The text includes Gehry’s struggles with antisemitism during his time in Canada and Los Angeles—and his subsequent decision to change his Jewish surname—and his globe-trotting assignments. Some readers may kvetch that the book never really clarifies whether Gehry is dead or alive. Gehry and his family are White. One crowd scene shows people as varied as the colors in his architecture.

An uneven tribute to a visionary artist. (biographical note) (Picture book biography. 5-10)

Kirkus Reviews